The airfares for April have been out for probably about a month now but the prices are incredibly high. I think July is considered to be the off-season there so you may have more luck with reasonable package prices.

I did my save the dates for totallymagnet.com. I just ordered them yesterday so I will let you know when I get them how I liked them. But we got 100 for $111.00 with shipping and tax, so I thought it was a pretty good deal!!

I am still trying to set our date and wanted to know if there are any Easter brides on here and how you decided on that date? There are only a few dates available at our resort and a couple around Easter, but I'm getting different feedback from different people and would love to hear from others.

We have the same wedding date! I am getting married on April 6, 2011 at the Iberostar Paraiso resort and I am definitely running into the same issue as you with the group quotes. I have obtained 3 different quotes so far, from 3 different companies and all were the same or more than the regular rates. That is pretty frustrating because it's not a deal at all! One of the travel agents did warn me that if we wait until closer to the day to book then we run the risk of the hotel or the airlines being sold out. She gave me an example of a wedding she was working on for the week of May1-7 and told me that it was already sold out right now! I didnt believe her so I did a search for those dates and she was right. I am sure there may be something available on other sites but that is a risk that does worry me. I also dont want to pay the high prices that I was quoted so I am torn:(

Hi Hanna,

I'm getting married Jan 22nd at iberostar paraiso lindo. Which iberostar are you getting married at? The Del Mar? Good to see more IB brides on here:)

We tried going the group route rate and ran into the same issue, it was like a $10 discount or something laughable. Individual bookings are the way to go IMO. I'd suggest going with a TA that specializes in DW's too if u haven't already. Most have pricematching policies, so u can book now at the higher rate, and then if and when room rates come down in the winter, your room rates will be adjusted. It's a good idea to purchase airfare sooner rather than later as the air will only increase in price.

Our rates are still relatively high at about five months out. Right now most of the "deals" out are targeting Sept-Nov because it's their down season. I am thinking that in Oct some lower rates will come out for Jan. Since your wedding is in May, I think you'll see some deals come out in Feb/March.

If you want to tell me the current rates you were given (you can PM me if you prefer) I'd be happy to let you know if I think it sounds high, reasonable, etc, based on our experience.

Hope this is at least a bit helpful to you. I know it can be stressful wanting to get your guests the best rate possible.

one of the TA that I went to told me that group rate is not equal to discount rate, because it is like you pay a premium to squat on a block of seats and rooms, meanwhile the airlines and hotels can't sell them.

As for hotel got sold out, when I went for my site visit in June, I was told the Royal PDC was sold out on that week, so I booked the Gran Porto (sister hotel next door), then I was offered to upgrade to the Royal for $50/night/room (cheaper than the Royal's regular rate). The thing is some hotels "reserve" a block of rooms for "timeshare" folks with availability guaranteed, and only release the room at the last minute.

The deal time is usually 3-4 months before the week, and if your wedding date is on a popular week, then better book earlier.

I had the craziest day yesterday!! Everything just happened so fast and I was so excited! As I mentioned earlier, I felt bad because I was "cheating" on my travel agent and looking for another one to give me some quotes.hehe I was feeling bad about it until yesterday. I found the best travel agent literally 10 min from my house. She was able to get me and my guests a direct flight from Halifax and Toronto to Cancun for a full week for $1100 plus taxes so it works out to be $1342!!!!! That was an AMAZING price,.so my FI and I booked right away! I can't believe we're finally booked to go it's very exciting! I feel like I've been researching and planning forever but nothing was actually happening. haha I finally feel like it' s real and I am getting married. haha

We have 15 more people booking today! I'm trying to get as many people as I can to book by September 3rd, 2010 as they locked in the rates for me. SO EXCITING!!!

Barbiegirl ......check with your travel agent today!! There was a drop in prices yesterday. The TA said they could be up again today.

I told my guests that obviously not everyone has to book by September 3rd, 2010. It's just a deposit of $250 so I think they would be crazy not to, however, they still have the choice to wait. Some people aren't sure if they can go yet. I just wanted to make sure I got the message out to as many people as I could and encouraged them to book because I could definitely not guarantee we would get that price again. I can't see them getting it any lower than $1100 plus tax. I almost died when she told me the rate. I was so excited!! It has been very stressful trying to get quotes, especially when they are not what you were hoping.

Good rates are starting to appear so we can breath a sigh of relief! :-)